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Working for vampires sucks more than one could ever imagine.

Facing a mountain of bills, courtesy of her ex-husband’s failed business ventures, and determined to provide for her daughter, single mom Cricket Jones’s desperation leads her to accept a mysterious job offer from a hidden society of vampires. It might not be the job she expected, but at least she’d be able to pay her bills and send her daughter to college.
Turns out her vampire “lady boss” has been seeking a way to escape a mortality curse and believes she holds the key, although Cricket has no clue how she could possibly help.

Between a sassy octogenarian grandmother who recently moved in with her elderly boyfriend, and is always getting involved in crazy shenanigans and a fifteen-year-old daughter in desperate need of stability, how is Cricket supposed to figure out how to solve her boss’s problems and keep her family in check, too?

The sexy biker next door, Zeb, and Cricket’s longtime best friend, Joey, might be able to help her… if they aren’t too busy, each harboring their own supernatural secrets, along with their romantic interest in her. Can Cricket navigate the complex web of attraction and make a choice between two extraordinary men who desire her, all while saving the lives of those she holds dear?

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2020

68 people are currently reading
370 people want to read

About the author

Shauna Jared

21 books101 followers

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5 stars
42 (36%)
4 stars
29 (25%)
3 stars
28 (24%)
2 stars
10 (8%)
1 star
5 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah | Retro Girl Reads.
1,610 reviews92 followers
December 24, 2021
Cricket Jones’ life used to be normal - at least, until she started working for a secret hidden society of vampires. A single mom in desperate need of more money, she thought nothing of it when she started working for Nina Lambert, a bona fide vampire.

Cricket’s also dealing with dramatic family members and her attraction to two different men, But things get more and more complicated as she gets more entangled in the supernatural society, and Cricket starts questioning everything she’s ever known.

Okay, so this is my first book by Shauna Jared… and I absolutely loved it!!! Jared’s writing is both entertaining and witty, and her characters were developed nicely. I liked reading about Cricket’s interactions with her teenage daughter, Mac, and her grandmother, Betty. Cricket herself was a super sarcastic character, which I always adore.

I also really liked the addition of Cricket’s best friend, Joey, who’s a bartender. He’s always looking out for her and Mac, which is really sweet of him. And Zeb, someone sent to watch over Cricket. *major swoon* he’s amazing!!! I loved how he was willing to do anything to protect Cricket and her family. All in all, I’d definitely recommend!!!
Profile Image for Angelica Young.
284 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2020
Vampires, Reapers, and witches oh my!

This book is Ah-Maz-ing!! Shauna Jared’s debut novel will leave you craving more Zeb, more Cricket, and even more Joey 😈.

Having lost her job, Cricket agrees to work for vampires. Not the smartest thing, and she acknowledges it... but they pay well and she’s got to keep her kid fed, right?

And that sexy Englishman next door? Whew yes please!!

This book reads like a Sookie Stackhouse novel, but Cricket is relatable and damn funny. I can’t wait for the next one!
Profile Image for L.L. Meyer.
Author 10 books339 followers
May 9, 2021
Pure fun!

Single mom Cricket can't believe her bad luck when she gets canned from her job as a paralegal. While out drowning her sorrows, she meets a new friend who has a lead on a job opportunity for her. Maybe her luck isn't as bad as she thought.

Except her new boss is a . . . vampire?

Lots of high-jinx, mystery and intrigue ensue! Throw in a sexy new neighbor and I was a happy reader. If you're into PNR comedies filled with irreverent humor, you'll love this one!
Profile Image for Jennifer Rose.
604 reviews32 followers
April 26, 2021
I thought I had ended my vampire paranormal phase when I finished Twilight years ago. This book has made me think there is hope yet for the Vampire books!

This book was so good and I really enjoyed meeting Cricket and the hotty next door...yum! Also Zeb and Joey were excellent to get to know as well.

This book is a quick read but still leaves you wanting more. It does end on a cliffhanger so you will want to continue the series!

I only rated it 4 stars though because the way the structure of the sentences were at times I felt a little jolted from the story.

I can't wait to continue this series.
Profile Image for MyDogAteMyBookReview.
212 reviews46 followers
May 21, 2021
This is the first vampire romance I’ve read in ages and it reminded me why I do enjoy paranormal ❤️

This book has all the elements I love: humour, mystery, banter, romance and twists!

I, like everyone else love Zeb! You have to read it to know why, but trust me, you’ll love Zeb.

Looking forward to book two!
Profile Image for Klaudia Fowles.
Author 5 books78 followers
January 1, 2021
Amazing! I love it💖 Shauna brought back the faith for paranormal stories again. And Zeb? Can we have more Zeb, please! 😊
Profile Image for Marcia - itsabookthing2021 .
755 reviews19 followers
January 3, 2022
Bitter End is a novel that centres around Cricket who ends up getting fired from her job and ends up landing one with a vampire. Cricket not only has to contend with this job but also her responsibility for her daughter. The story immediately pulls you in from start to finish and you find yourself devouring your way through.
The story and the development of where it was all going played out well, it was paced enough to enjoy the story, The character developments throughout the story are well written and thought out. Each character felt like they had a purpose.
In my opinion it was definitely a good start to the triology.
I can't wait to read book 2.
Profile Image for Sandi.
687 reviews47 followers
December 21, 2021
This is a fun, fast paced, urban fantasy with some interesting, and actually somewhat relatable characters. Cricket is a divorced thirty something with a goth, vegan, emo daughter, who finds herself fired from her job (for what I would say is one of the most ridiculous circumstances ever), only to find herself with a very lucrative job offer from a consortium of vampires. Of course, she doesn’t believe them at first, but it’s not long before she realizes that not only are they real, but so are witches, warlocks, werewolves, shifters (of every kind), reapers, and pretty much every other supernatural creature she could imagine. Add to the mix a little love triangle with her new, sexy biker neighbor, and the hot bartender at her local bar, and Cricket’s life is suddenly anything but boring or ordinary.

The main conflict of the story isn’t really about supernaturals and her finding out all about them. That information is really put right out there. But the vampire that Cricket goes to work for has an interesting story, and her desperation drives a big part of the plot here. There are some interesting plot twists, and the secondary characters turn out to be a lot of fun - angsty teenage daughter, sassy 80 year old grandma who moves in with her boyfriend at the local assisted living community, with some curious twists of their own. And the love triangle isn’t obvious either - neither of them stands out as the better option - both hot, sexy, and equally sweet and flawed in their own ways. The whole thing comes together nicely as an enjoyable story.
Profile Image for Chanel Johnson.
365 reviews19 followers
December 16, 2021
Super interesting story! Cricket loses her job and ends up meeting a lady at a bar who has a job offer for her. Cricket obviously needs a job so she goes to a meeting with a “vampire”. She thinks the job offer is a big hoax but it comes with a large paycheck so she accepts the job.

Cricket and Zeb meet when he moves in next door. He has a secret that has lead him to town.

Zeb, the tattooed Harley biker, turns out to be soft and gooey on the inside. Cricket seems to be soft on the outside but turns out she would do anything for the people that she loves.

This story focuses a lot on Vampires and I’m excited for more of the series and the supernatural beings that will emerge. I’m excited to read book 2!
Profile Image for Kaly.
204 reviews4 followers
January 4, 2023
Bitter End is an interesting and fast paced paranormal read about a 30 something year old woman named Christine "Cricket" Jones, who has just lost her job as a parlegal. She is at a bar getting drunk where she meets a lady, Doreen, who offers her a job at Sunshine Cleaners, that turns out to be more than just a dry cleaning business.

During her "interview" at Sunshine Cleaners, Cricket meets Carl and finds out that vampires as well as other supernatural creatures exist, including her new next door neighbor Zeb. After accepting the job her life takes a turn where she begins to realize just what she has walked into. While also juggling a moody 15-year-old gothic and vegan daughter, named Mac. And a new attraction to Zeb, her tattooed and motorcycle-riding sexy next-door neighbor. Cricket is put to the test when she must figure out who she can and can't trust and what the real reason was for being hired at Sunshine Cleaners. While making questionable decisions.
Profile Image for Michel.
134 reviews
July 31, 2020
i got my hands on this book earlier today and i was pulled into this story immediatly from start to finish i devoured my way through this book i loved it alls cricket her daughter and all of the other various characters were all well done the plot had me sucked in from the beginning to the end and i was left satisfied yet hungering for more lol there was some parts i didnt agree with that werent verry bad all things considered but nods namely what im reffering to was crickets stance on mac her daughter being a goth while she wasnt against it she didnt seem to be open to it or trying to understand it atleast from the impression i got though i could have easily misread that overall though i loved her interactions with all the other characters espicially with zeb and her grandmother im looking forward to what comes next keep up the good work shauna your awesome :)
Profile Image for Zoe_isreading.
627 reviews57 followers
March 4, 2021
It's been a while since I've read any paranormal romances and this one definitely didn't disappoint. Cricket is thrown into the supernatural world and starts working for a vampire. Then her new next door neighbour turns out to be a super hot reaper!

This book has drama, action and as we all enjoy - hot men. There's a lot of twists and turns in this book and ends on a cliffhanger. I'll definitely be jumping into the second book once I get a chance!
Profile Image for Paula Constant.
Author 6 books72 followers
March 30, 2021
A great laugh and well written

This made a great change from.stock standard vamp fare. The lead character has a wonderful sense of humour, and the banter with her daughter was great. The plot moved along nicely and there were some.good twists and turns. Also appreciated the side characters and sense of place...I like Nashville for the setting. All in all.totally worth the read and a character I foresee having a long career. I will be following along!
Profile Image for Selena Moore.
Author 19 books212 followers
March 18, 2021
I hardly ever venture into the world of paranormal but this was a delight to read and I was very pleasantly surprised by all the different elements the author weaved so beautifully together to create this story. And Zed? Well, let's just say, Zed was a great character to come up with! Well done Shauna, I loved it!
4 reviews
February 21, 2021
An interesting story!

I like the various elements in the story, from the sassy grandmother to the hunky Reaper, and the Gothic, vegan daughter. The ending was good; it didn’t leave you hanging like some books I’ve read.
Profile Image for Alana Rodriguez.
4 reviews
April 3, 2021
Shauna did a fantastic job on Bitter End.
The characters have depth, the plot is well rounded with so many different elements.
I couldn’t put it down.
And if you read Bitter End, you can’t miss out on reading Bad Blood!
Profile Image for Cheryl  addie.
1,481 reviews3 followers
March 28, 2021
OMG loved it can't wait till I can get more of the series
Profile Image for K. Forest.
Author 5 books90 followers
June 12, 2022
This paranormal romance story kept me reading quickly. The story line was fantastic. The FMC, Cricket is spunky, sexy and strong. She's stumbled upon a world that she didn't know existed. Her new neighbor Zeb is a super hot Reaper who captures her heart.

This book has drama, romance and paranormal creatures that I enjoyed and I'm sure you will as well.

Only warning: It ends in a cliffhanger. I can't wait to see how Author Jared continues the story.

Profile Image for Gladys Cross.
Author 14 books147 followers
January 13, 2022
This one held some twists and turns that were delightful and unexpected. It was spicy with a hint of danger. If your a fan of supernatural you’ll love this one. Plus the heroine is funny, and come on, who doesn’t love that?
206 reviews
March 27, 2021
Lightweight.

Disappointing content, no real substance to the story, certainly no gripping storyline, if anything it became positively boring. Characters not particularly likable either. The only thing in its favour was it was free!
Profile Image for Peaceful.
708 reviews14 followers
May 19, 2021
If you liked the Sookie Stackhouse books you will probably enjoy this book.

For me something was missing. I could not get invested in the story or the character. Like I said if you loved Sookie you will probably love Cricket.
Profile Image for Mandy Peden.
159 reviews7 followers
June 2, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5
Bitter End Book 1 of Nashville Immortals series by @shaunajaredauthor
This book was so good! I’ve always been a huge fan of vampires, so I’m hoping the other two books in this series have a little more vamp action. I really liked how Shauna was able to bring supes into “our world” without it being so fantasy based that it needed world-building. This made me feel like it could totally be real, and had me wishing I’d find some vampires needing someone to do their daytime chores!
I’ve been in the mood for vampires recently, and I found this series through the @blackheartsbookevent I’m going to in August. I live outside of Nashville and thought, “Vamps in Nashville, heck yes!” I’m so glad I found these! I was hooked from page one and finished this book in a day! I have all the paperbacks of this series, as well as her Tennessee Whiskey series, and hope to get her to sign them at Black Hearts! I plan on reading them all, so be ready for more reviews of Shauna’s books! 💜
27 reviews
October 24, 2024
The main character is really annoying, she meant to be a fully grown woman but her teenage daughter act more mature than she does. She also a terrible mother who takes zero interest in or care for her daughter.
The plot is pretty basic and there’s no character development.
There was a couple of spicy scene but there was no chemistry between the love interests.
However the very minimal world building that the author does hints at an intriguing urban fantasy setting, enough to keep me from DNFing the book.
Profile Image for An Epilogue a Day Bianca.
713 reviews7 followers
May 29, 2023
This paranormal romance is set in a world where humans are not aware of the supernatural and we follow Cricket, a single mom of a teenage daughter, from the moment that she is hired to work for a vampire.
This is such a fun read and the world is so interesting and full of colorful characters. I will definitely keep on reading Cricket adventures.
Profile Image for Steph.
2,155 reviews306 followers
May 18, 2021
Liked the idea behind the story, but not the execution. I did see this was the author's first book, so I might check out book 2, at some point, to see how it (and her writing) progresses. But, I waffled between 2.5 and 3 stars; ultimately, I'm happy this was a freebie.
83 reviews
March 9, 2021
Alright

Alright? What was up with the ALRIGHTS? Strange way to greet someone or start a sentence. It was distracting and strange.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews

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